12-09-2025

Discriminating between the different species of deer that occur in the UK is evidently one of the most challenging aspects of spotting on MammalWeb.  Contributor Marc Baldwin has kindly put together this guide to help with that task.  We have found it very useful and we hope you do too!

Identifying Deer

There are seven species of deer that you could bump into while out and about in the wilds of Britain. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are both considered native to the UK and are quite widely distributed, albeit reds have a much patchier distribution than roe. Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are also technically native, but confined to a herd owned by The Reindeer Company that has free range over part of the Cairngorms in Scotland. So, unless you have your trailcam in this fenced area, or your garden trailcams are out on Christmas Eve/morning, you're vanishingly unlikely to capture a reindeer. The remaining four - European fallow (Dama dama), Japanese sika (Cervus nippon), Reeves' muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi), and water deer (Hydropotes inermis) - are introduced species, the first originating in the Mediterranean and the remaining three from Asia. The distribution of water deer and sika remains relatively limited, while muntjac and fallow are now ubiquitous across Britain.

Despite there being only a handful of species, deer can be tricky to identify, particularly from a black and white trailcam photo or the glimpse of one legging it into the undergrowth. It's important, however, that we strive to ensure accurate identification, because citizen science projects such as MammalWeb are important tools in monitoring distribution changes in these species, particularly the invasive ones. In this article, we're going to take a brief canter through some of the key features that can help pin down the species staring back at you from in front of the lens.

Red

This is by far our largest deer species, and size alone can often be the key determinant. When viewed in full colour a short brick-red (summer) or longer grey-brown (autumn/winter) coat sporting a yellow-cream rump patch (also known as the "target") with a moderate tail and no dark markings is indicative of red deer. During the winter, the males (stags) grow a mane. To my eye, this species, and adult females in particular, have a comparatively long face, giving something of a regal or looking-down-its-nose-at-you appearance. A paler streak around the eyes and/or nose is often evident.

Red deer (Image: Marc Baldwin)

Roe

Adults of this species have a uniform/unspotted coat, with both males (bucks) and females (does) sporting a white rump with no obvious tail nor dark markings. Unlike any of our other antler-growing species, males re-grow their antlers over winter, so if you see a deer in velvet during December, January or February, it'll almost certainly be a roebuck. (I say almost certainly, because there are conditions or injuries that can cause deer to retain their velvet and antlers abnormally, but these are uncommon.) Once the velvet is shed, the bucks have simple spiked antlers, typically with three points. Females have a distinct white tuft in the middle of the rump called a tush. Perhaps the most obvious character of this species, if you get a photo of the face, is that both sexes (and even young fawns) possess a dark stripe either side of the nose, giving a moustached appearance.

Roe deer (Image: Marc Baldwin)

Japanese Sika

One key identification feature of Sika is a white rump patch with dark horseshoe-shaped fringe, but without the long tail or tail stripe of a Fallow. The second is a pale U-shaped marking across the brow, giving both sexes of all ages the appearance of frowning. Additionally, a dark stripe runs the length of the back, from the base of the skull, with pale/white spots flecking a chestnut-brown-to-blackish coat. Males have a short mane during the autumn rut, and their antlers are much more simply spiked, with fewer branches than red deer.

Sika deer (Image: Marc Baldwin)

Chinese water deer

This small species exhibits a uniform short brick-red coat in summer, moulting to a longer and paler one in winter. Large, rounded ears and large black eyes give them a "teddy bear" appearance. The hind quarters are significantly more muscular than the chest and forelegs. Indeed, the hind quarters are higher than the shoulders, but less so than the muntjac, making the back appear straighter. A pale ring is usually present around the eyes and nose. Mature males have long tusks that protrude below the upper lip, although these often get broken, and females occasionally present with tusks, so it's not always a reliable sexing tool. In my experience, water deer are frequently confused with both roe and muntjac.

Chinese water deer (Image: Marc Baldwin)

Reeves' muntjac

Our smallest deer species. Males and females have a dark brown coat without any striking marking. A long, wide tail that's brown on the top and white underneath is flagged when alarmed. The ears are smaller, more oval-shaped, and less well furred than water deer and the back more arched, sometimes giving a pronounced hunched posture. Both sexes present with dark line markings on the face - males exhibit a V- and females a W-shaped mark. Both species possess short tusks, and males have short antlers with exceptionally long pedicles (the bony stumps on the top of the skull from which the antlers grow).

Reeves' muntjac (Image: Marc Baldwin)

Fallow

Short, bright chestnut/red-brown coat with white spots in summer; grey-brown in winter with less distinct spots. The flanks are often heavily white spotted on a light/chestnut brown backing, but there's huge variation in colour. A dark line runs the length of the back in the summer coat. The rump is white with a black border that forms an inverse horseshoe shape, and the relatively broad, long (by deer standards) tail has a black stripe down middle. Males possess large palmated (flattened) antlers, increasing in size and palmation with age. Males don't grow a mane during the autumn rut as red and sika stags do but display a very prominent Adam's apple. This is the species that are known to form "super herds" of more than 50 individuals.

Fallow deer (Image: Marc Baldwin)

For example…

Obviously, it's one thing to get a good look at an animal in decent light while it stands to try and work out what the heck you are (or doesn't notice your camo), but quite a different game when you're working with a couple of frames hastily caught by a trail camera, often in black and white. With this in mind, let's take a look at a few examples from MammalWeb.

This is a Chinese water deer, probably a buck (male) based on the facial structure. Note the large, rounded, furry ears and the large rounded black eyes and nose, giving a "teddy bear" appearance. White "socks" on the front legs are also common in some populations. (Image: Robin Langdon)

A fallow buck (male) late in the rut. Note the broad splaying (palmation) of the antlers, Adam's apple, and the long tail. (Image: Sian Green)

A muntjac doe (female). A short-statured deer, with a rounded back (giving a "hunched" appearance). Darker markings on the forehead, and the "smile" is also a common feature in females. (Image: Deborah Wright / NHMP Warwickshire)

Red deer stag (male). A large deer, as evidenced by the surrounding vegetation, with a lighter rump patch with barely discernible tail, plus the long face, pale band around the nose, and branched antlers. (Image: Kovács Attila)

A red deer hind (female). Note the large size relative to the vegetation, off-white rump patch, uniform coat, and proportionally long face. (Image: Abby Whitmore / NHMP Cornwall)

Roe deer buck. Note the uniform coat, simply spiked antlers with three points, and the dark "moustache". (Image: Stuart Millen)

Roe deer doe (female). Note the uniform coat and the white rump patch with the "tush". (Image: Russell Hill / NHMP Durham)

Sika stag. Note the pale hock gland on the hind leg, the raised brow giving a "grumpy" or "frowning" appearance, and the simple non-palmated antlers. (Image: Simone Ciuti)

A sika hind (female). Note the raised brow, heavily spotted coat, white rump patch surrounded by a black border and the tail (just to the left) without any markings. (Image: Simone Ciuti)

Another sika stag. Again, note the brow ridge, white rump patch surrounded by a black border and the tail without any markings, simply spiked antlers, and relatively short face. (Image: Simone Ciuti)